When looking at RPGs lately, it seems to be getting harder and harder to tell them apart. You know how it goes—a young hero from a quiet town is thrown into circumstances beyond his control. He sets out to right a wrong and gathers together a band of friends to help him on his quest. After facing insumountable odds and legions of evil dragons/sorcerers/corrupt rulers, etc., our courageous hero emerges victorious to right all wrongs done to innocent townsfolk everywhere. Justice prevails, you win.

The original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater arrived on the scene and did the impossible. Not only did it bring skateboarding to the videogame masses, but it also did so with such proficiency that it immediately became the industry standard—a standard as yet unmatched by its competitors.

I can't see too many gamers being disappointed with the sequel. The game is definitely successful as a solid and enjoyable title, but personally, I needed the game to take more of chance to be considered something truly amazing.

After playing Madden 2001, I am in agreement with Ben on almost all of his points. Naturally, the Nintendo 64 Madden leads in graphics, but its high-res graphics are simply too choppy to go unnoticed. The PlayStation version on the other hand, lacks any sort of graphical punch at all, but plays more smoothly.

Madden NFL 2001 is a better football game than NFL GameDay 2001, but only marginally so. It has a better visual polish (especially in the Nintendo 64 version), loads of options and gameplay that's easier to live with, but I still found it every bit as frustrating to play as every 32-bit and 64-bit football game before it. What's the point of all the extra features that 989 Sports and EA Sports have been cramming into their football games if every contest feels like a chore?

No matter how many magazines proclaim how videogames have become "socially acceptable," or that they are now a part of the "mainstream," I'm still not convinced. Take for example the upcoming release of the PlayStation 2 console system. On October 26, 2000, the PlayStation 2 will be unleashed onto the Northern American retail market, and gamers in the region will experience a new era of videogames.

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